


The Fairy in Red

by tide_ms



Category: Oh My Girl (Band), Windy Day - Oh My Girl (Music Video)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fairies, Fantasy, First Kiss, First Time Having Period, Hurt/Comfort, developing feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 15:44:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tide_ms/pseuds/tide_ms
Summary: A girl helps a forest fairy save her trees. A forest fairy is punished with humanity.





	The Fairy in Red

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lillypillylies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lillypillylies/gifts).



> \- All SPAG errors are mine.
> 
> \- More details about the tag 'first time having period': there is nothing graphic or sexual relating to it.
> 
> \- This story has strayed far from the MV. I had several ideas for it, but this one clicked better with me. I hope it does with you, as well. ;o; I thought a lot about whether to go with the girls' names or use original ones, and eventually chose to go with the girls' names. I personally like both options, but if you prefer original names, I am more than happy to edit to your liking. Hope you enjoy reading.

There is a forest next to the College of Arts, and there is a mirror that one day appears out of nowhere between its anterior, withered trees, and no one seems to notice.

  
It looks old and odd, it looks as though it has always been there, fitting the the dull greenery.

Hyojung is intrigued by it, an invisible force pulls her focus and thoughts toward it no matter how hard she tries to concentrate on her lectures.

  
At some point, a few minutes before two in the afternoon, wondering about the mirror becomes too much that Hyojung stomps through the campus toward the forest.

Each step she takes brings awe to her heart.

The forest is not the best looking out there, something about it has always felt off.

Ever since Hyojung brought her luggage to the dormitory and noticed the high, gloomy trees, Hyojung felt that there's something strange about it.

Something strange enough for her to question why they would build a school of performing arts next to such a depressing scenery, which, oddly enough, everyone else seems to think of as either the complete opposite or a haunted forest full of sad and angry ghosts.

  
Up close, the mirror looks so... antique. But there is no rust or stains on it. It's bewildering and beautiful, and Hyojung extends a shivering hand to touch it.

A blinding light engulfs her in the blink of an eye, and fades before Hyojung can process what just happened.

When she adjusts to her surroundings, heart pacing so hard and chest hurting, Hyojung finds that she's no longer at the edge of the forest, but deeper inside.

Now a mirror at the edge of the forest had her curious, but teleporting into the forest through a mirror fills her with horror.

Hyojung looks around with panic burning her nerves. It's strangely dark inside the forest, it looks silvery and mystical, and all of a sudden, an odd feeling of friendliness washes over her and the moment of panic passes.

Hyojung isn't that afraid anymore.

She tries to recall how big the forest is, but instead hears something, with her heart. Something close and loud.

The forest smells of earth and flowers and sorrows. It's quiet, but not empty of sounds.

From the distance, Hyojung hears a bird singing and a bear stomping the ground. There must be deers and squirrels around, as well, Hyojung doesn't know how she knows that, but she knows.

After a moment of maneuvering her way through branches and hilly ground, toward the calling, Hyojung spots her.

A girl in red, fair and tall, pacing at what looks like an entrance made of all kinds of leaves.

  
Hyojung swallows thickly.

"Hello?" Hyojung calls for the girl's attention.

The girl looks at her with a start, and she is indeed fair, but with a touch of darkness in her eyes, the kind that brings dread to Hyojung's heart.

The girl's standing in front of her before Hyojung can blink.

Hyojung raises her arms instinctively, taking a step back and tripping on her own foot.

  
The girl says nothing, she studies her. She's panting and she looks sick, body seemingly very weak.

"I— I—" Hyojung stutters, attempting to explain what happened because the girl looks strange. There are black lines across her right cheek and neck that look like delicate, dead veins. Or a lightning strike.

The girl's features soften then, her lips form a quick smile that does nothing to calm Hyojung's heart.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the girl says, her voice unexpectedly adorable. "I can, I'm a forest fairy, I have powers, but I'm not going to."

Everything in Hyojung's body is shaking by now, and she's fully aware of that. She replies timidly, "what?"

"What?"

"What are you talking about?" Hyojung asks.

"Which part?" The girl asks in turn, and Hyojung can almost feel it in slow motion; how dread resolves into calmness.

Hyojung supports her weight on her elbows.

"The part where you can hurt me but you won't, are you being honest?"

"Of course, dummy," the girl— the fairy says.

Hyojung notices green layer on her forearm, mold-like.

"There are many reasons as to why I won't hurt you. I need your help, for starter," the fairy continues, strolling; fingers entwined behind her back. "And second, I'm not actually supposed to hurt you if you didn't bother the forest, and when I say hurt, think of things like weird nightmares. You know them? The moving images you see when you sleep that make your heart burst and your lungs burn and your soul tremble."

Hyojung stares at her in awe and shock.

"I know what nightmares are," she murmurs quietly, then remembers the fact that she had touched a mirror and was transported here. To this... fairy. "And you're exaggerating," Hyojung adds, getting to her feet.

The fairy laughs. "Believe me, I'm not. We're very protective of our home," she replies, then locks eyes with Hyojung. "Don't ever hurt the forest."

"Why would I want to hurt—"

"Another reason!" The fairy interrupts, shattering Hyojung's fear a little more.

(Hyojung glances at the weird entrance and quickly looks away. The sight of it brings her heaviness."

"You're a fairy. Sort of."

"What?!"

"I can sense it."

"What the hell are you talking about and what is this place?!" Hyojung looks around, searching for anything that resembles a way out, but at the same time, she isn't desperate to leave.

"You didn't know. All right, calm down, fairies sometimes retire or get banished to humans' world. It's more common than you'd think," the fairy replies casually, now seated on a scalped rock. "I can't tell what kind of fairy you are, though. It's very faint, hmm."

The fairy squints at her.

"You're a fourth generation, maybe fifth, so you probably can't have powers."

Hyojung is speechless. She hears nothing but her own pulse and feels nothing but curiosity and fascination and worry.

 _She should be afraid,_ Hyojung thinks, but she isn't.

"I must be dreaming." The comment slips past her lips.

When Hyojung looks at the fairy, she finds her strongly offended.

"You could have said you won't believe me and saved me time. I'm a little in a hurry."

"How did I get here?" Hyojung asks.

" _Why_ did you get here?" The fairy says in a way of correcting.

"I didn't even know I was coming here!"

Hyojung takes a deep breath upon realizing how loud her voice was. She tries to relax because so far the only scary thing she sees around her is the entrance. "Where is here?" She asks.

"Fairies' world."

"Oh, that doesn't sound ridiculous at all."

"Fine, just listen to me. The mirror you saw is my calling," the fairy says, out of patience from the looks of it. "I am asking for help and only those who are kind enough to pity a sinful soul will hear it."

Her words draw Hyojung's attention fully.

"You are the eight being to answer, and the third human," the fairy finishes.

Hyojung is hesitant and anxious when she asks, "what did you do?"

"I hurt my forest," the fairy simply answers, and with a motion of her hand, green, thin roots extend out of nowhere.

As they cross the space between them effortlessly, Hyojung freezes in her spot, amazed and afraid all at once to the point where she can't move.

"Don't be afraid. Please," the fairy says, and Hyojung meets her eyes.

She finds them pleading for her, she finds that the darkness in them is pain and sorrow.

The roots touch her fingers gingerly.

  
Suddenly, Hyojung is yanked into another place. A bright and serene place with all shades of vivid green and brown and yellow, and all sorts of lovely singing. And there, seemingly ignored by the passing animals and birds and plants, the bleak entrance stands alone.

Hyojung then realizes that she has not been taken into a different place, but a different time.

She's watching a memory, one where the fairy takes leisured steps toward the entrance with a smile on her face. She seems at peace, the whole forest does, and she crosses the entrance with that same attitude.

After disappearing from her sight, Hyojung notices the tension growing all around her; animals run and birds fly away, the trees still and the wind feels unsettled. And then slowly, light fades away and darkness seeps from the entrance.

The fairy comes out running, wounded and afraid.

The scene then rapidly changes, showing the fairy attempting to cross the weird entrance but only to be thrown back out, and then showing several other fairies, each beaming with a different color. They're gathered around the fairy in red, disappointment and tears shining in their eyes.

Time passes again, and Hyojung sees the many beings that came and went; giants, beasts, and spirits and others she can't define. They all failed to help the fairy.

Hyojung's heart is aching by the time she sees the fairy weeping in desperation. Her tears pool in her eyes when she sees the fairy lying next to the plants and trees and flowers, comforting them as they slowly wilt and die.

  
Hyojung is then pulled out of the memory. She gasps and falls to her knees as the roots retreat.

"I was... arrogant. I believed that I can reach the center of the Maze of All Darkness and return safely," the fairy explains, "but I couldn't even pass the outer circle. The Maze took my trees and flowers, my roots and seed, and I can't get them back on my own." She pauses then, guilt unmistakable in her eyes. "The other forest fairies banished me to the mortal worlds, but they allowed me the chance to save my forest first, so would you help me, human with fairy blood?"

Hyojung wants to. If only because the sadness swelling in her heart, for the fairy, was so heavy and suffocating.

Hyojung sniffs, nodding.

The fairy beams with happiness instantly. She jumps to her feet, joining her hands together.

"Great! We have once chance and you'll have to hide me in your heart!" The fairy says with sweet lightheartedness.

 

It turns out that the fairy knows little about the Maze of All Darkness. And that carrying a fairy in a human's heart is quite overwhelming that it doesn't work from the first time.

The intensity of the fairy's presence weighs Hyojung down to the point where she can't stand.

"It isn't just in this forest, it's a plane of its own, sewn into all worlds," the fairy informs her quietly. She's squatting near Hyojung, patiently waiting for her to compose herself again. "It harbors all darkness, keeps it leashed, but it doesn't attack intruders all the time," the fairy says. "Fairies are generally forbidden from entering it because it wouldn't just hurt them, it'd destroy their essence if they got stuck, provoked or attacked the Maze."

"Is that why the forest looks dead and depressing from my world?" Hyojung splutters, digging her fingers into the soil.

"Yes," the fairy replies after a beat.

 _She's offended,_ Hyojung notes when she glances up, and then completely regretful.

"The Maze kicked me out every time I tried to get in and rescue my forest, it instantly recognized me."

Hyojung recalls the memory, and how roughly the Maze treated the fairy.

"Let's try again."

The fairy is quiet, gazing at Hyojung with unreadable shimmer in her eyes. Then she says softly, "thank you."

Hyojung locks eyes with her, her breathing finally even.

"Will I die?"

"I don't think so," the fairy answers honestly, "the entrance to humans' world is one of the easiest one to find. You'll be able to escape quickly if the Maze attacked you. Just call for it, the safest place you ever knew, and you will find the door to it right in front of you."

Hyojung finds that a little impossible. How can she find something she doesn't even know how it looks?

"Really?"

The fairy nods. "But you can't run for it while I'm inside you, or else I'll be trapped in your world and then I won't be able to speak with the other forest fairies. They might forgive me, so you must return here. Keep listening to my voice and we'll be out quickly after we free my forest."

"Wh— what?" Hyojung's head spins with worry. "Wait, why would I be running for it?"

The fairy purses her lips, hesitant.

"Tell me."

"The Maze is very sensitive," the fairy begins, "you should expect to see your worst nightmares, endless darkness, otherworldly monsters that even I don't know much about." She speaks in a steady voice, one coated with care. "You should expect to see all kinds of possible and impossible things, you might see familiar and unfamiliar things, and all of it might lure you to your fall. And if the Maze sensed a challenge in you, it would try to trap you inside for all eternity."

Hyojung's mouth is dry when the fairy finishes, fear gnaws at her.

"You should have told me this earlier."

"Would you have refused to aid me if you knew beforehand?"

_She wouldn't have._

Hyojung knows herself.

"No," Hyojung replies with a sigh.

Hyojung squeezes her eyes shut momentarily and gathers her strength.

"I don't want to be trapped in the Maze, fairy."

"I won't allow that fate to happen," the fairy says with confidence before melting into Hyojung. "I promised."

  
The process is gentle, but then it isn't.

Hyojung feels her in her heart, in her flesh and bones, heavy but still, or trying to be still. The fairy's bubbling with power and toughness and steadiness and jest, yet she's immersed in sadness and ache so deep below the surface that Hyojung gasps for air the moment the fairy finally settles within her being.

Hyojung rests her head on the ground, but after a moment, she notices a different heartbeat, beating next to hers.

With that, Hyojung eyes the dreadful entrance.

_She won't cross it alone._

 

  
The Maze of All Darkness isn't dark at all, Hyojung finds.

Above her head, there isn't a sky, there's an illusion of thick trees and lovely, dim sunlight. But that's only where Hyojung's still standing near the entrance.

There are a lot of sounds and voices, distant and incomprehensible. Hyojung blocks them out completely, focusing on the mission she has no idea why she's agreed on.

There are a lot of pathways, as well, leading to nowhere Hyojung is eager to go to. Some gloomy, some looking as though they shattered into literal space.

But there is only one thing that Hyojung feels clearly beside her heavy fear, and that is the fairy's longing and desperation for her forest.

At first, Hyojung is so focused as ventured into The Maze deeper, pulled by an invisible force that she soon discovers what it is. It's her connection to the forest, or well, the fairy's connection to her forest.

Then curiosity tugs at her senses when she reaches an intersection and finds a pathway so magnificent it makes her heart full. It looks as though it's made out of liquid fire, smooth and mellow; it looks so vivid yet so eerie.

It allures Hyojung, _can she take just a peek?_

At that weakening thought, Hyojung feels a tight grasp on her heart. Like lithe fingers squeezing as hard as they can without killing her. It hurts a lot, but it disappears as quickly as it happened, leaving Hyojung breathless and leaning on the wall.

Her mind completely clear from any distracting thoughts.

 _That was the fairy,_ Hyojung realizes.

So now she runs. She sprints, following the sad singing of her trees and flowers, of her roots and seed, and doesn't stop until she finds them.

_Until the fairy finds them._

A glowing dot, trapped in The Maze's wall by strange, tiny threads.

Hyojung has no idea what to do, her muscles ache; tremors pain her all the way to her bones, but then she knows what to do. She feels it in her gut.

She wraps her fingers around it gently and waits for the Maze to let go.

And it does, it lets go.

In her palm, the dot feels warm and familiar.

Hyojung smiles in joy, warmth spreads through her chest and she jumps happily as the dot flies away. Somehow, she knows the forest will find her way out of The Maze.

"We did it, fairy!" Hyojung whispers shakily, and just as she turns to head back, the light around her fades out a little.

The fear fully returns when vibrations travel under her feet. Her heart paces hard now, and she knows, she just knows she has to run.

So she does, with a heavy heart. But when shadows appear to be swallowing the paths behind her, dread consumes her. She must have provoked the Maze some way, and now it's coming after her.

Hyojung panics, and in the rush of the moment, she calls for the doorway to her world; to her safest place.

She calls for it desperately, and hears; somehow she senses the fairy begging her to keep going back to the forest.

The doorway appears, showing the living room of her childhood home, and Hyojung goes right through it with tears in her eyes.

 

 

 

  
Between running through a mystical maze full of hidden mysteries and evil and knowing that fairies exist, Hyojung dreams only about one thing, and that thing is the forest fairy's pleas for her to not panic, to not walk through the doorway.

She neither dreams about the mission where she rescued a whole forest that -- in fairies' world -- is magical and full of wonders, nor she gets flashbacks about the tremendous weight of carrying a fairy in her heart.

Hyojung only thinks about the fairy's desperation and that is a nightmare in and of itself. One that wakes her up sweating and trembling, like now, five in the morning, on a school day. She sits upright, trying her best to calm her aching heart.

  
Three weeks after that day in The Maze, and she can still feel the fairy's emotions as clearly as seeing them written on her face; her shock upon falling into humans' world next to Hyojung, her fear and worry, and then her agony as tears pooled in her eyes then brimmed over.

Still in her red dress, looking as human as any, the fairy had wept silently beside her in the living room of Hyojung's family's house.

 

  
_She didn't mean to surrender to her panic._

Hyojung frowns, hugging her knees to her chest, but before she can let her guilt and sorry sink her into a pit of regrets, a figure appears in the middle of her dorm room.

Hyojung shrieks, but she quickly stops herself upon realizing the sight in front of her.

Wearing an adorable shade of green, and literally beaming with a bright aura around her figure, the Resident Fairy stands with a straight back and a hesitant smile on her face.

"Hello, ms. Hyojung," the fairy says. "Do you remember me?"

How can she not remember her when she's the one who prevented Hyojung's mother from finding her daughter and a strange girl crying in her house.

The Resident Fairy looks exactly like three weeks ago, wearing the same clothes, her short, brown hair brushed the same way.

_And overflowing with the same warmth._

She has appeared out of nowhere then, as well.

While Hyojung had scrambled to try and comfort the forest fairy, the Resident Fairy appeared before them and peered down at them with shock and worry. She had grasped both of Hyojung's hand and the forest fairy's, and transported them to somewhere private and quiet.

In the blink of an eye, Hyojung had found herself in a lovely house at the skirt of the city.

Hyojung finally nods.

"What are you doing here? Is..."

Strangely, Hyojung is quickly stormed with worry about the forest fairy.

"Is she okay?" She asks hesitantly.

The Resident fairy smiles. "Jiho's okay, but also not. That's why I'm here."

The name brings a shudder to Hyojung's heart. A human name for a newly-turned-human forest fairy.

The Resident Fairy has picked it for her, along with her age and everything that would give the forest fairy a human identity.

"I didn't know you'd wake up this early, should I come back later?"

Hyojung stares at her, confused about how the Resident Fairy even knew she'd woken up.

But then again, fairies are real and that alone is still shocking and mindblowing, so she ignores that detail.

Hyojung gets out of bed. "It's okay, I'm awake now. Tell me."

"You need to talk with her," The Resident Fairy says.

"I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see me ever again," Hyojung replies with a bitter smile.

For a fleeting moment, she's thankful she still doesn't have a roommate or else how's she to explain all of this?

"Whether she does or does not, it doesn't matter. You brought her to this world."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Hyojung defends herself. "I— I was helping her and then I was scared. The Maze..." Hyojung trailed off, unwilling to recall how it felt to be chased by supernatural shadows.

"I know," The Resident Fairy says softly. "That doesn't matter, either. She's a human now, you can help her more than I ever could."

That somewhat frustrates Hyojung because she has been wanting to do anything to help, to fix what happened. Even if she didn't have the courage to call The Resident Fairy and offer.

She has been worried about the forest fairy, sorry and aching for her over the past three weeks.

"How can I help her when she doesn't even want to be here?"

"You can teach her the ways of humans," The Resident Fairy suggests, seemingly confused herself.

"Isn't that your job?" Hyojung asks with a pointed look.

"Ah, it might sounds like it but it isn't. I help fairies wear a human mask, for the sake of safety. And it's only for a short period of time. Jiho, on the other hand,  _is_ a human."

"That's the same, fairy," Hyojung answers with a defeated sigh, heading toward the tiny kitchen.

The Resident Fairy remains quiet then, but when she speaks again, she breaks Hyojung's heart. "She forgot to eat. I forgot that she has to eat," she says quietly. "And that you guys function differently from us."

"What happened?" Hyojung asks with a strained voice.

"She had her period a couple of days ago, and _I_  was too panicked to know what to do."

Hyojung feels a lump form in her throat, suffocating her. She quickly faces the fairy. "Is she okay?"

The Resident Fairy nods. "She knows what periods are, from the humans she met back home," she replies. "When she called for me, I thought she freaked out from the blood or was in shock, but she was calm, and told me what to do."

Hyojung's heart suddenly aches so bad.

"Ms. Hyojung, my responsibility is to protect the lost and stray fairies until they can return to our world, and Jiho is no longer a fairy. In a few weeks, maybe a little more than that, she won't be able to see me unless I showed myself to her." She pauses. "She might still have her connection with our world, but someday, it will fade. Nothing will be left for her from our world except her memories."

"That's really unfair, you know?" Hyojung hears herself saying.

"It isn't. She told you about the punishment, right?"

"Yeah, but she said there might still be a chance for forgiveness," Hyojung says, "but because I panicked, she won't get it."

The Resident Fairy looks sorry then.

"It is irreversible now," The Resident Fairy says. "If you want to make up for what happened, help her. There's only one way for her to go from here, do you really want her to go through it alone?"

 _That's cruel,_ Hyojung thinks.

After a moment of silence, The Resident Fairy speaks with a tender promise in her words. "I'll find her a place here, near her forest so that the closeness might help her heal. And I'll keep an eye on her, for as long as I can, but there isn't much that I can do for her, that's why I'm here. If she is to heal from her loss, it'll be with your help."

The Resident Fairy's words resonate with Hyojung. On one hand, she doesn't want to leave things with the forest fairy like that. On the other, she wants the forest fairy to heal, to find closure in this world after spending an eternity trying to save her forest.

 

  
The forest near the College of Arts no longer looks depressing. It's a slow process that Hyojung noticed only a few days ago, but the change is undeniable.

The forest looks alive again, full shine and sweet melodies and welcoming serenity.

Walking through it feels strangely familiar, even with the morning sun rays showering it with warm beam. Walking through it brings Hyojung ease as she searches for the forest fairy.

 _And she needs ease,_ her pounding heart needs it to calm. If she's to help the forest fairy, she needs to be strong and dependable for her.

  
Hyojung finds the forest fairy quickly, she doesn't know how, but she finds her. She's lying on the ground, hugging fallen leaves of autumn to her chest.

  
At first glance, Hyojung thinks the fairy is asleep.

She becomes hesitant, and her guilt and her embarrassment prevent her from finding the right thing to say.

So she stares in silence, in awe. The fairy looks painfully human despite having the same features and the same hair.

"Hello, human with fairy blood."

Hyojung flinches, letting out a nervous greeting in turn. But after a beat, she gathers her confidence. "Jiho, can we talk?"

Hyojung sees and almost senses the fairy tensing up upon hearing her name.

"The Resident Fairy said she picked it with care. Is it pretty?"

The fairy's voice is empty of spite, Hyojung notes.

"It is," she replies, and then contemplates whether to sit or not, but eventually she decides to sit next to the fairy.

She gently removes leaves and branches away, and makes sure her shoes aren't hurting any plants.

"I have a name," the fairy begins, "but I'm still unable to say it in your tongue. I've tried, but nothing felt right."

Her eyes are still closed, posture relaxed.

"The Resident Fairy said humans speak millions of letters, I might be able to say my name if I learned them all."

Hyojung gazes at her with pain simmering in her chest. She recalls the encounter three weeks ago.

 _When you were in our world, you weren't speaking our language, and Jiho wasn't speaking yours. The Calling she put out, it's a universal device; it allowed you to communicate and understand each other so you can offer your help,_ The Resident Fairy had told her. _And now since she came into this part of humans' world, she's able to speak the language people here speak._

Hyojung didn't know what to think of it back then, but now, she's grateful for that kindness. For the fairy to be able to fit in in her current world.

She notices that the lines on the fairy's neck and cheek are still there; drawn on the skin like a fading tattoo. She wonders if the green mold left a trace on her arms, as well. Under those long sleeves of her normal human clothes.

_Are there traces of the world she had been living in? Her real world._

"I'm sorry, fairy," Hyojung says then.

"For what exactly?"

The question startles Hyojung, the undercurrent of rage in it startles her, but then the fairy opens her eyes, and they're a beautiful shade of dark brown, tiny glints of the sun tucked in their depth.

The fairy sits, and tenderly lowers the leaves.

She stays silent, a sharp furrow on her brows as she faces Hyojung.

"You're mad at me."

The fairy nods.

Hyojung can't blame her for that.

"You're here because I freaked out," Hyojung says.

"Correct."

"I freaked out," Hyojung repeats, locking eyes with the fairy as if it affirm that fact. "I could feel you inside of me, telling me to keep going back to the forest, but I was afraid, fairy. So afraid. I didn't want to see or know what those shadows were, I didn't want to face The Maze. I just couldn't."

"But I was sure you'd make it, if you just trusted me and ran fast enough—" the fairy says, and stops herself immediately when her voice turns louder.

She lowers her gaze, visibly trembling and confused.

"There is a burning tree in my heart," the fairy says, questioning. "A rock in my throat. I— What's going on? I... this body is..."

Hyojung is tensed now. She sees the fairy clenching and unclenching her fingers, her chest slightly heaving.

It hurts seeing her like this, hurts so much that before she can think better of it, she reaches and holds the fairy's hand.

"You're upset. Really upset," Hyojung says, hesitantly squeezing and stroking the fairy's hand. "It's okay, don't worry, it'll pass. I'm here for you, okay?"

"You're the reason I'm here."

The fairy looks at her dead in the eye, and Hyojung feels heat creeping under her skin.

Embarrassed and sorry, she pulls her hand back, but the fairy lowers her head then, whispering, "don't stop. Please."

Hyojung is confused, her mind races with thoughts and conflicting emotions until she resigns to inching closer and wrapping an arm around the fairy's broad shoulders.

"I can't turn back time, fairy," Hyojung starts, and realizes she's doing something wrong. "Jiho," she corrects herself. "I'm really sorry I wasn't brave enough, but you are here now. In this world, as a human."

Hyojung holds her strong, uncaring of her own taut muscles and burnt nerves that start to tire her.

"I'm really, really sorry I panicked and ruined your life, Jiho—"

"They could've forgiven me, given me a second chance," Jiho says with heavy voice, sudden and defeated, "but I'm not sure that would make me undeserving of the punishment." Tears pool in her eyes, her voice starts to break. "I shouldn't be mad at you, not when you already did what no one else could, what _I_ couldn't, but I am and I don't know how to stop. I really don't know how to stop."

Jiho is shuddering by the time she says, "I'm sorry. I am angry at you and I am sorry." She looks at Hyojung, genuinely asking, "Why am I feeling a mess inside of me?"

The apprehension in her voice, the confusion and sadness, they're all raw and they tug at Hyojung's heart.

Hyojung gently pulls her into her arms. She caresses her head, and whispers, "you'll be all right, I promise. I won't leave you alone."

Jiho is tensed in her arms, but then she isn't. She cries, hiding her face in Hyojung's neck.

She cries, clinging to Hyojung.

She cries until the tree branches droop and the leaves fall gently around them.

Hyojung quietly gasps in awe, but holds Jiho tighter.

 _It's magical,_ how the forest attempts to comfort Jiho. As magical as it can be for a moment in humans' world.

 

 

 

 

Jiho spends most of her day in the forest, but once night falls, she returns to her home. Or the closest she's gotten for that.

It's all thanks to The Resident Fairy, she has found Jiho an apartment small yet lovely ten minutes away from the forest, and with that, she's faded into the unseen plane.

  
Hyojung doesn't fuss much about Jiho spending most of her time outside when the weather is changing rapidly and she has yet to get used to this world and her new body. She's tried, but Jiho's said she liked it, and so Hyojung's resigned to making her promise she'll return home early.

"You're only a human now, Jiho, and this world is full of horrors and evil far stronger than any of us."

"I know," Jiho replies with a pout. "I know enough about humans' cruelty."

"Then promise me you'll take care of yourself."

Jiho is reluctant at first, but then she nods silently.

Hyojung gets not even one ounce of doubt that she won't fulfill her promise. It's a strange thing to be confident about, but Hyojung just knows.

 

There is a flower shop near the campus, Jiho doesn't go near it when she visits Hyojung's dorm. She takes the longer routes, usually that means the forest route.

"You're late," Hyojung tells Jiho when she opens the door.

"You're still working on your assignment, it's okay if I'm late," Jiho replies, walking in with careful steps as usual. "You need to... focus."

Jiho closes the door behind her with her elbow, slowly and with her utmost of care.

She doesn't like that countless things are made of wood, and Hyojung can only imagine how grave that dislike for a forest fairy.

"But I need that coffee to focus, Jiho. Now it must be cold, and cold coffee will not help me focus on this really annoying assignment, believe me," Hyojung says, then adds. "You'll know what I mean when you start college next year."

Jiho smiles calmly, and that smile is far from empty of sadness and ache. But then she fetches a flask out of her backpack with a proud look on her face.

"It's still warm, I asked them to put it here. And then I ran."

Hyojung is surprised for a second.

"I mean, I didn't run from them. I paid, then ran through the forest."

"Oh, you... you shouldn't have," she says, and then she's full of worry. "It's been barely six weeks, Jiho. Let yourself get used to..."

Hyojung swallows thickly, unsure how to continue. But then she decides it's better not make things awkward.

"You should get used to your body first."

"I know," Jiho says, busying herself with arranging the pastries she's bought on the table. "Don't worry, I'm being careful. I actually like it."

"Running?"

Jiho hums, awkwardly sitting on Hyojung's bed.

"Then you might be interested in the track team. It's nothing official or big, but it's fun and the college actually supports it."

Jiho stays quiet as Hyojung prepares the food, the warm scent makes her mouth water already.

"How was today? What did you do?" Hyojung asks causally.

"I brought you a gift," Jiho says, and when Hyojung looks at her, she finds a blush on her cheeks and an adorable furrow on her brows.

"Really? What for?"

Hyojung is smiling brightly, warmth spreading through her and strangely lingering in her stomach.

Jiho unlocks her phone, and after a moment of swiping her finger on its screen, she approaches Hyojung.

Hyojung is confused when Jiho shows her a photo of a tree.

A very pretty photo of a tree.

She looks at Jiho, and Jiho meets her eyes fleetingly.

"I never thanked you for saving the forest," Jiho says in a quiet voice as she swipes at the screen to show Hyojung more photos of trees.

Of the forest, of Jiho's forest. Of its small hills and its falling leaves that have taken a lovely shade of yellow and orange and red.

Hyojung absentmindedly holds Jiho's arm.

"This is what you saved. She's happy again."

They're photos taken by a phone, but they're taken beautifully and with care.

 _Those photos are the present,_ Hyojung realizes with a big smile drawn to her and a heart melting at Jiho's pure intent.

"She's beautiful, Jiho."

Without her notice, Hyojung rests her head on Jiho's shoulder as the taller girl smiles briefly.

 

Jiho has a sweet voice, so Hyojung teaches her how to sing to the forest.

But one day, as Jiho basks in the liveliness of the forest, she asks Hyojung to sing. "I think she'll like it."

For others, that liveliness might mean simply leaning on a tree and listening to the whispering melody of trees. But for Jiho, it's being lovingly surrounded by colorful butterflies and being blessed with the company of deers and birds and joyful squirrels.

They come and go, of course, but they leave Hyojung a little breathless every time.

"Are you sure?" Hyojung asks.

"I can..." Jiho places her hand on her chest. "It's faint and hard to catch with the senses I have right now, but I can still feel her. Deep in my soul."

Hyojung listens in silence as Jiho finishes. "It's fading, bur for now, I can still feel her."

Hyojung reaches and squeezes Jiho's hand once, knowing that words won't help right now.

Instead, she sings Jiho and the forest a sweet song. She sings with a smile on her face, with fondness growing in her heart.

 

Jiho gets used to humans quite fast. She spends hours studying them and discreetly observing their behaviour whenever Hyojung takes her out for a bite or to show her around the city.

In silence, Jiho would watch their interactions and sometimes mimic their slightest gestures.

Hyojung finds it adorable, but she wants to reassure her. As they wait for the train to arrive, Hyojung draws Jiho's attention with a gentle tug at her hand. "You don't have to worry about looking odd, Jiho. Odd is good, too."

"I don't think everyone in this world agrees with you. I've spent the past nights searching your history, humans are awful."

Hyojung smiles. For some reason, she isn't surprised.

"You should be sleeping at night," she reminds her, and realizes how warm Jiho's hand is.

She lets go awkwardly, clearing her throat as sudden heat washes over her pleasantly.

 _Jiho is beautiful,_ Hyojung thinks to herself, _and cute_ , and how random the thought is shocks her. She tries to focus on the people around them, on their noise.

"Night here is very quiet, I don't like it," Jiho replies.

"Do you sleep better during the day?"

"Not really," Jiho answers, shrugging before lowering her head. "Maybe I'm just not used to it yet."

Jiho gazes at her feet, hands in the pocket of the coat that she had recently bought. It's the first thing she picked all on her own.

She's silent, but Hyojung can sense her sadness, her yearning and ache.

She inches closer and grasps her elbow gently. "Hey, it'll get better soon," she says with a heart full of care for Jiho. "And I'm here whenever you need me, you know that, right?"

"You don't have to be here. _You_ know that, right?" Jiho says in a calm voice, tender and sweetly direct. "I know The Resident Fairy asked you to look after me, and I know you still feel guilty about what happened, but you don't have to. You've already been good to me."

"I don't." Hyojung hears herself saying instantly, with a strange confident and hopefulness. "I don't have to do that or even meet up with you, I know. I want to," she says, a faint tremble seeps into her voice when she adds. "But— but if you'd like me to stop visiting you, I will."

"I don't. I don't want you to stop," Jiho murmurs firmly after a second. She reaches for Hyojung's hand and entwines their fingers. She puts their hands in her pocket.

Hyojung's heart beats faster, shudders as warmth pools in the pit of her stomach. But she manages to say, "when you change your mind, tell me, okay?"

Jiho looks at her.

"Why would I change my mind?"

"Oh, well," Hyojung begins, barely finding her voice when Jiho looks at her intently like that; with sheer curiosity. "Sometimes the connection that bonds people together fades, it's an okay thing to happen, Jiho. People change, life changes."

"Fairies don't," Jiho says absently, but then she looks as though she's deeply thinking.

"I guess that doesn't apply now," Jiho finally says. "But... I've been inside your heart. It's nice, I don't think I'd want to be away from it. From you."

Hyojung almost forgets to breathe, her hand sweats embarrassingly a lot and her surprise is nothing but obvious that it makes Jiho confused.

Hyojung smiles, whispering, "I'm glad to hear that, Jiho."

In reply, Jiho squeezes her hand once, and then quietly says something that brings tears to Hyojung's heart. "I... I don't blame you for what happened anymore, I shouldn't have done that in the first place." She's red and her eyes are fixed on the ground, and she speaks with steadiness that sounds louder than the antsy people around them. "We both did exactly the same thing. I was overconfident and acted accordingly, and you were afraid and acted accordingly. I was foolish, you were only a human. Brave and scared all at once."

"Jiho," Hyojung lets out, the sentiment touching her heart.

She meets her eyes then. "It's confusing, but I'm angry at myself only now. I... I forgive you, Hyojung."

To answer that, Hyojung partially hugs her, uncaring of what kind of stares they might attract.

Jiho squeezes her hand again and doesn't let go until they need to get on the train.

 

Of all the things that Jiho finds trouble adjusting to, it's the weather.

"We look the same, kind of, but we are made of different matters," Jiho explains quietly after Hyojung finally stops scolding her for staying in the rain. "Yours is a little... easy to break. Rain never hurt me, I didn't think it ever could," she says, both shuddering and frowning.

Hyojung rushes to bring her a towel and dry clothes. Her heart is still pacing, but there is a sinking fear in her stomach.

"It could, it could hurt you so bad, Jiho, you shouldn't let yourself get soaked in the rain like this."

Hyojung quickly helps Jiho out of her wet clothes once she sets the temperature to warm levels.

"Come on, let's get you out of these before you catch a cold. Dry you hair, quick."

"You seem in distress over a few drops of rain," Jiho says, peering down at her.

"You seem like about to catch a cold," Hyojung counters firmly. "A very bone-wrecking and soul-wrenching and mind-numbing cold."

With that, Jiho quickly starts taking off her clothes.

Hyojung resists a smile that tugs at her lips.

"I'll make tea," Hyojung says, heading for the kitchen.

In her trek, Hyojung finds herself walking comfortably even though she hasn't been to Jiho's place many times.

She checks the fridge, and asks Jiho about the mail and bills, and while she prepares for tea, she notices the little things that Jiho's added to her place.

A basket there, a sticker here, and a lot more that could make this a home for her.

Hyojung smiles, but even then, sadness and sorry storm her.

Jiho suddenly appears at the kitchen's door with a hoody in her hand and a frown on her face.

"I'm sorry," she says. "You're supposed to be studying for your finals, and I troubled you, didn't I?"

Hyojung is surprised, but then she's full of affection for the younger girl.

_Two years younger than her, that's the age The Resident Fairy has found proper to her appearance._

Hyojung sometimes wonders about Jiho's real age. She knows she's much, much older than her, but she doesn't plan on asking. Ever. She doesn't want to open the wounds that Jiho might be healing from already.

  
With a sigh, she approaches Jiho.

"It's fine, Jiho," Hyojung replies, helping Jiho into her hoody. "I was just worried you'd get sick, that's all."

"Yes, that'd probably be inconvenient at the moment," Jiho says innocently.

Hyojung chuckles.

"It's not that, I don't want you to ever get sick," Hyojung replies, and before she can stop herself or process the sheer fondness that she's feeling for Jiho, she adds, "I care about you a lot."

Hyojung immediately avoids Jiho's eyes once she realizes the meaning of her words, strange chaos erupts in her mind, but she quickly attempts to play it cool.

"There," she says, smoothing the hem of the hoody. "All done. I— I turned up the heat, so it should feel warmer soon."

She makes to continue preparing for tea, but Jiho stops her. She holds her hand and hugs it to her chest.

"I like that," Jiho says, eyebrows knitting together. "That you care about me, it just made flowers bloom in me."

Hyojung's breath catches in her throat, cheeks burn with blush.

"Oh my God, Jiho."

"What's wrong?" Jiho asks, apparently confused. "Oh, wait, is that one of those things I shouldn't say out loud?"

"Hold on," Hyojung says, moving to turn off the stove.

She takes a deep breath, perking up her shoulders as she faces Jiho again.

"You like that I care about you?" Hyojung asks.

"Yes."

"Because we're friends?"

Jiho makes to answer, but stops. She thinks deeply then, heading to lean on the counter.

"That seems to have a limited capacity comparing to what I'm feeling," she says eventually.

Hyojung bites her lip, attempting to calm her oddly pacing heart and oddly panicked thoughts, and stops upon realizing how that might look.

"You saved my forest, so you are a hero to me," Jiho continues, explaining. "You have a good heart, so I'm lucky to have a place in it. You're guiding me in this world, driven by neither obligation nor guilt — as we've concluded — so I'm relieved that you at least don't dislike my company enough to treat me as a stranger instead of a friend." She pauses, widened eyes darting to meet Hyojung's. "Do you?"

"What?"

"Dislike my company?"

"No," Hyojung replies, and shakes her head in answer, too.

Jiho nods, visibly relaxing.

"And..."

Jiho takes her time to consider her answer, which makes Hyojung impatient.

"And what?"

"You're beautiful," Jiho says, and nervously lowers her gaze when silence ensues.

She's blushing so hard.

"I think this is one of those things I shouldn't say out loud."

For a moment, Hyojung can only feel the hammering of her heart and the fuzziness exploding in her stomach like impossibly gentle fireworks.

"You should say it," Hyojung says in a shaky voice. "If— if you think I should know."

Jiho locks eyes with her.

"Don't you already?"

Hyojung smiles.

"It's different when you hear it from people you like."

Jiho doesn't react clearly to that, but Hyojung looks away, nonetheless, all in effort to hide her surprise from what she's just said.

_She likes Jiho?_

_She does._

_She really does._

Jiho's still blushing when she repeats, "you are beautiful." And though she seems as though she's adorably analyzing this tiny exchange, the words still make Hyojung quietly gasp and they still make her guts flip warmly and nicely.

"So it makes me feel good, and warm," Jiho continues in a low voice, "to know that you care about me. It makes me feel that way because... I care... about you, too."

  
_She finds her beautiful,_ Hyojung's mind fixates on that one thought, and then on the fact that she cares about her. And before she can process all of that, Jiho speaks again.

"What does it mean? I had friends back home, and I love... I loved them to no end as they loved me, but this feels different," Jiho says. "Is this how humans love each other? Desire... each other?"

Hyojung shudders faintly. She takes hesitant steps toward Jiho.

"It depends on what you're feeling exactly, Jiho. On what you want from the person you're having those feelings for."

She manages to keep herself composed, because even if this makes her feel giddy and warm and unexpectedly allures her with sweet and intimate thoughts she'd never known she can think of, it hasn't been that long since Jiho became a human.

"Sometimes, the thing you feel for others is just a pleasant connection, or a passing attraction, and that can mean anything from sexual sensations to simple fondness. Also, it's very normal for people to find each other pretty or attractive without... you know, desiring anything from them," Hyojung explains as best as she can. She smiles warmly in an attempt to clear the faint tension. "It's different for everyone, of course, but there more connections that bond us together than just love or lust, which, usually, what make people want to be intimate with each other."

Jiho is attentive as she listens to her, it's why Hyojung has to lower her head when she feels nervousness paint her expressions.

"Do fairies feel these things for each other, too?" She asks, both curious and attempting to cool down because suddenly it's becoming too hot.

"We love, yes," Jiho answers, nodding. "When forest fairies love, trees grow so high and so big sometimes they reach the sky."

Her voice is soft as she informs Hyojung, full of warmth and longing and sadness. "We aren't born like humans, so we don't have families, but we bond easily with each other. We gather and spend time together any time we like, we nurture flowers and plants and trees into growth like you would with babies, and converse with animals and spirits and beasts and the other friendly beings that visit our world warmly."

She giggles softly then, perhaps recalling memories of a different world.

"Sometimes with humans, too, when they accidentally fall into our world. They're cute, always in awe." The sweetness in her voice draws a big smile to Hyojung's lips.

Jiho's cheeks then brighten with pink as she says. "Fairies can be... intimate with each other, too. Privately. And... the sensation is slightly similar to..." Jiho pauses, clearly nervous. "To how humans experience it, but different enough to confuse."

Hyojung blushes upon hearing that.

"And you're experiencing that now?" She asks in a whisper.

Jiho nods once after a moment.

"Toward me?"

"Yes," Jiho replies softly.

"Wh— where do you feel it?" Hyojung asks.

Jiho seems hesitant at first, eyes fixed on the floor, but then she points at her chest, then stomach, then her hand hover in the air.

"And down there," she says with a taut voice.

Hyojung holds her breath without noticing then, happy and excited and nervous and hot all at once.

"Is this the first time you feel this way?"

It doesn't escape Hyojung that knowing that Jiho is sexually attracted to her has provoked her own desires. Her pulse sinks into the pit of her stomach, all the way to her groin. And her heart, it flutters in joy.

"I've felt fireflies in my heart before, when I meet up with you, but... it's the first I've felt them in the other places. Toward you."

Hyojung attempts to comment on that, just say anything, but she ends up stuttering and smiling nonstop.

"Should I stop feeling that way?" Jiho asks, shoulders squared up all of a sudden and worry shining in her eyes. "You seem unsettled."

Hyojung is far from surprised to hear that. Maybe because, right from the start, Jiho has been treading carefully into this world; as a human. Maybe because of the memory Hyojung can't forget; the one where Jiho's spent an eternity comforting the flowers that she had unknowingly hurt.

"Do you want to?" Hyojung asks, and with a sudden surge of boldness, she holds Jiho's hand. "Sometimes, desires and attractions pass on their own. Sometimes, you don't want them to pass."

Jiho's hand is warm; stronger than any hand Hyojung has ever held before.

Jiho trembles, immediately closing her fingers around Hyojung's.

"No."

"Good," Hyojung says with a shaky voice. "I don't want you to stop, either."

Hyojung tries her best to keep her composure, but the idea of being intimate with Jiho, of having sex with her, is distracting.

Jiho is almost hesitant when she asks, "why?"

"Why do you think?"

Jiho gazes at her with undeniably darkened eyes.

"Because you like me?" Jiho asks, then immediately adds. "Oh, that's what you meant just now."

Hyojung doesn't get to think carefully about this, not when her heart and her stomach and her whole body act that way. That pleasant way.

She nods in answer, preventing her smile from beaming embarrassingly. "What did you think I meant?"

Jiho's smiling, wide and relieved, when she replies, "I thought you meant causally. Or like friends." She huffs then. "Why is it so complicated? I feel a lot of things all at once," she says with a pout, her way of complaining. "What am I supposed to focus on?"

Hyojung chuckles as though she hasn't just realized and admitted that she likes Jiho and that she might want her intimately, in the same heartbeat.

"You're so cute, Jiho," Hyojung says, feeling every fiber in her being bubbling with newfound joy.

Jiho smiles, stroking her hand with her thumb.

Hyojung feels heat soars within her, so she gently moves to the stove, "so, tea?! And dinner, too. We should see what we want—"

She speaks nervously and she knows this, and she knows that she doesn't want the moment she's having with Jiho to end.

So she stops herself and turns back to Jiho with faltering confidence.

Jiho looks at her confused at first, her lips twitching with a smile, but then her eyes widen when Hyojung nears until there's only an inch left between them.

"Do you want to kiss?" Hyojung asks, and regrets her words immediately.

She shouldn't move this fast when Jiho's still figuring things out.

"Or, you— you know, we can just talk about it first, and—"

  
Jiho leans in, steady and sure.

They kiss chastely, then sweetly eager and hesitant and careful.

Hyojung likes it.

Jiho's lips on hers feel like the nicest thing Hyojung has ever felt, and Jiho's trembling hands finding a spot on her back make her faintly gasp.

At that, Jiho quickly withdraws her hand, and pulls back with a shuddering breath, but Hyojung, knowing that she must think she's done something wrong, rushes to reassure her. She cups Jiho's face and waits for her to focus on her before taking her lips with her own again.

She reaches one hand for Jiho's and places it back where it belongs.

Jiho's breath catches in her throat, but she stays close. She pulls Hyojung into her, and kisses her deeply until both of them can't breathe.

"Do you want to do this?" Hyojung whispers into her mouth.

Jiho digs her fingers into her waist, nodding. She kisses her again, burning with desire and curiosity and something genuine that makes Hyojung whimper in her arms.

That reaction causes Jiho to gasp and holds Hyojung with her other hand, as well. Confused and... overwhelmed to the point where she freezes.

"We can stop whenever you want, Jiho, we don't have to do anything more," Hyojung tells her, gently stroking her cheeks and gently gazing at her.

Jiho nods, eyes closed and warm breaths rapid.

"I just..."

She tries to speak, but when she doesn't find the words, she hugs Hyojung tightly.

 

"I think this is a little intense for a breakable body."

Hyojung almost melts in her warmth, in her fast heartbeats that vibrate through her. Instead, she laughs happily. "We'll take it slow, as slow as you want." She caresses Jiho's back soothingly, giving her time to grasp the emotions and sensations she might be feeling.

At that moment, she notes Jiho's scent; it's impossibly refreshing and earthly, deep and barely human-like.

It's a forest scent, lovely and relaxing, only fitting for a forest fairy.

A former forest fairy.

"I still don't know what it is exactly that I'm feeling," Jiho murmurs. "Isn't that a bad thing? I don't want... I don't want to ever cause you harm."

"Hey, hey, you won't," Hyojung replies, then kisses her on the cheek. "I don't know what I want us to be, either, I just know that I want to be with you, like this. We can figure out the rest along the way."

"Like river fairies?" Jiho chuckles then. "They always guide their rivers without really knowing where they're heading to."

Hyojung smiles at the loving tone in Jiho's voice. At the lack of heavy sadness in it nowadays.

"Like rivers fairies, we'll take it comfortably. We've got all the time in the world," Hyojung says as Jiho sighs into her neck. She kisses that same spot, long and soft, before she stands straight again.

"We really don't," Jiho says.

Her words brings worry to Hyojung's heart at first, but then a genuine, happy smile graces her lips.

"Humans live a short life comparing to the other beings, it's actually one of the reasons why becoming a human is a punishment," Jiho explains lightly. Then, in silence, she looks at her with rapt eyes. "I am a human now when I've lived as a forest fairy for so long. It's still unfamiliar, and... very confusing, but I'm glad I'm spending this short lifespan with you, Hyojung."

Hyojung's heart becomes full with love and content and fondness. Tears form in her eyes, tears of joy.

"Oh, Jiho."

She considers playing it cool and with jest, but the moment; the sentiment Jiho is sharing with her deserves equal care.

So she closes the distance between them and kisses Jiho with a loving smile stuck to her lips, with a wish to keep Jiho happy for as long as she can lingering in her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

  
Humans' world is full of inharmonious noise. It's unhealthy and very distracting, but The Forest Fairy in White endures it for the sake of seeing her friend.

Her fallen friend.

She doesn't know what to expect when The Resident Fairy in humans' world guides the way to a forest, but seeing her friend, completely humane, wearing human clothes and sounding exactly like humans, with a girl in her arm hasn't crossed her mind.

"That's the human who helped her restore her forest from The Maze," The Resident Fairy informs her as they watch them. "I've been watching Jiho from afar, Hyojung stayed with her and guided her through this world."

It's summer in this world it seems, The Forest Fairy in White notes from the slightly warm breeze and radiant green. The flowers are blooming, too, yellow and purple and pink, scattered all around the two... lovers.

She watches them in wonder; they seem content and happy, lying under the shade of a huge tree. The human was kissing her fallen friend's cheek, chastely but clearly intimately.

"She's happy." The Fairy in White approaches hesitantly, careful not to disturb them or interrupt their moment even though they won't see her.

They won't sense her presence.

They won't, but the animals and the birds will; the flowers and the little plants will turn to her.

She hides behind a tree trunk.

"I was worried she'd be unhappy," she says with a sigh of relief, and leans on the trunk.

After a moment, The Resident Fairy speaks quietly. "She was really sad at first, she said you might forgive her for her mistakes and allow her to remain a forest fairy. Would you have done that?

The Resident Fairy gazes at her, and The Fairy in White lowers her head.

"I would have, I think. But maybe not the others. She's broken the rule, risked the safety of the foliage."

The Resident Fairy purses her lips, and looks at the two again.

"Then I'm glad Hyojung has found her. Humans might have a short lifespan, but at least she isn't spending it alone. She's spending it with joy and love from what I've seen."

The Fairy in White nods. "Thank you for keeping an eye on her."

The Resident Fairy smiles genuinely and slightly bows her head in answer.

  
"Can I say goodbye? I won't reveal myself," The Fairy in White says.

The Resident Fairy nods.

With that, The Fairy in White places her hand on the tree trunk, and wishes for her friend to live happily.

 

It happens naturally, her goodbye. The forest glows; everything in it glows around her friend and her lover.

It surprises them, The Fairy in White hears their murmurs.

"Wow. Jiho, what's going on?" The human, Hyojung, asks.

The Fairy in White smiles, whispering her goodbye as she looks at her friend again.

With that, the glow shatters and falls like sparkling rain.

Then it appears; a knowing smile on her friend's face. Bright and sweet and full of happiness.

When the sparkles finally reach the ground and fade, her friend hugs her lover tightly, laughing. But she sounds like she's crying, too.

"It's fine, it's a good thing." The Fairy in White hears her friend say, and that brings her content. A closure.

Perhaps, a closure for The Fairy in Red, as well.


End file.
